The present invention relates to a package for containing separate items, such as pills, tablets, doses of medicine, or the like, that can be stored therein and dispensed therefrom by an intended end-user, and more particularly, the present invention relates to a package including an outer sleeve housing a blister card that is slidable into and out of the sleeve whereby the structures of the sleeve and blister card interact to provide child-resistant, senior-friendly dispensing properties.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,581,642 B2 issued to Knutson et al. and U.S. Patent Application Publication Nos. 2009/0045096 A1 of Knutson et al. and 2009/0178948 A1 of Reilley et al. are assigned to Anderson Packaging, Inc., the assignee of the present application, and disclose examples of packages including a molded plastic sleeve and blister card combination that provides child-resistant, senior-friendly dispensing properties. Other examples of packages are disclosed, for instance, by U.S. Patent Application Publication Nos. 2007/0102318 A1 and 2005/0183981 A1.
Although the packages disclosed by the above referenced patent and published applications are suitable for their intended purposes, there is a need for alternate designs of such packages that are of novel construction and that are difficult for a young child to open (i.e. receive a so-called “F=1” child resistant rating), yet can readily be opened and closed by an intended end-user, such as a senior citizen. Such a package may include a molded plastic container body or sleeve for storing a blister card, tray or the like on which numerous items, such as tablets, doses of medicine, or the like, are individually secured in blister compartments. Preferably, the blister card should be able to be slid between a retracted position in which the items are protected and housed within the sleeve and a dispensing position in which the blister card at least partially extends in an exposed position from the sleeve. In addition, preferably the package is one that can be made of a minimal amount of plastic, yet be of sufficient strength to produce a functional child-resistant package.